automatic brake system

Published on: February 8, 2024

Studies Call for Improved Auto Accident Protection Systems for Trucks and Motorcycles

Auto accident prevention technologies like forward collision warning systems do a very good job of reducing the risk of auto accidents involving passenger vehicles, but may not be as effective in preventing motorcycle accidents and trucking accidents.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently released the findings of two new studies which found that forward collision warning systems and automatic emergency braking systems are very beneficial in reducing the risk of car accidents involving passenger vehicles, but not as effective in preventing accidents involving motorcycles and trucks. The studies focused on more than 160,000 auto accidents involving passenger vehicles, large trucks and motorcycles.

According to the studies, these systems can help reduce the risk of rear-ender auto accidents involving passenger vehicles by as much as 53%. However, they were found to reduce the risk of accidents involving large commercial trucks by only 38% and motorcycle accidents by 41%. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, as many as 5,500 lives could be saved every year if auto accident prevention systems were enhanced to make them more effective in identifying and reducing the risk of colliding with large tractor trailers. An additional 500 lives could be saved in motorcycle accidents if these technologies could be improved to help identify motorcycles that are notoriously harder to identify for motorists.

Published on: January 1, 2024

Experts Call for ABS on All Motorcycles to Prevent Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Calls for the United States to mandate automatic braking systems on all motorcycles in order to prevent accidents are growing louder. This country remains one of the very few developed nations that do not require this technology on all motorcycles.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is petitioning the federal government to mandate automated braking systems on all motorcycles in order to prevent accidents. This is the second time that the organization petitioned the federal government on this matter. The first time was more than a decade ago, and since then, according to the organization, more than 27 nations, including Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Brazil, India and several members of the European Union, have mandated these technologies on all motorcycles.

Automatic braking technologies can help riders maintain control over the motorcycle even when they suddenly brake or brake on wet or slippery surfaces. They prevent the kind of motorcycle crashes that are often caused as a result of skidding. These are the kind of accidents that often result in the rider falling off the motorcycle with possibly devastating consequences. The lack of ABS on a motorcycle is a significant factor in a large percentage of motorcycle accidents every year.

Published on: July 30, 2023

Auto Braking Accident Prevention Systems Could Soon be Required on All Cars

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

When a proposed new rule by the federal government becomes final, most cars in the United States will come with automatic emergency braking systems that will significantly reduce the risk of car accidents.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed a rule that would require the installation of automatic emergency braking systems on nearly all cars and pickup trucks in the United States. The rule will require that all light passenger cars and trucks that weigh 10,000 pounds or less come with these systems after the publication of the final rule. The rule will also require that automatic emergency braking systems recognize pedestrians at night.

After a period of 3 years from the final publication of the rule, all vehicles in the country will be required to have these systems. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that a significant number of lives will be saved every year as a result of the widespread adoption of the technology. It is specifically believed that 360 lives will be saved in car accidents every year and more than 24,000 injuries will be prevented as a result of the use of the technology.

Published on: July 19, 2023

FMCSA Proposes Automatic Emergency Braking to Prevent Truck Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Automatic emergency braking is slated to prevent hundreds of truck accidents involving commercial trucks every year after the federal administration proposed installation of these devices on all heavy trucks.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced a notice of proposed rule-making that would require all commercial vehicles to have automatic emergency braking systems on board. The goal of this rule would be to significantly reduce the incidence of rear -ender truck accidents involving commercial trucks and tractor trailers.

Automatic emergency braking systems are also available on passenger vehicles, and work by using sensors to detect if the vehicle is in danger of a collision with an object. The system uses sensors to detect an auto accident threat, and moves to apply the brakes if the driver has not already done so or to increase the emergency braking power if the driver has already applied the brakes. The system thereby works to help prevent a collision with another object or vehicle.

Published on: December 6, 2022

Auto Braking Cuts Pickup Truck Accident Rates, But Few Trucks are Equipped

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Auto braking systems that use sensors, cameras and other devices to determine whether the vehicle is too close to the vehicle in front can significantly reduce the risks of auto accidents involving pickup trucks. However, according to a new study, far too many pickup trucks are lacking this important safety feature.

Many automobiles now come with automatic braking systems that significantly reduce the risk of certain types of auto accidents, specifically rear-ender accidents. Pickup truck manufacturers have been slow to add these very important safety features to their vehicles. A new study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety lays down exactly how important automatic braking systems are for pickup trucks.

The study used data from 25 states between 2007 and 2012, and the researchers found in their analysis that the rate of rear-end car accidents involving pickup trucks was 43% lower in cases in which the truck was equipped with an automatic braking system. In cases of auto accidents involving an injury, the rate was 42% lower in the case of pickup trucks equipped with automatic braking systems. Overall, there was a 73% reduction in the number of injurious and fatal car accidents involving pickup trucks, when these vehicles were equipped with auto braking systems.

Published on: April 26, 2022

Call for Regulators to Require Emergency Braking Systems that Work at Night

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Faulty car brakes can cause horrific accidents usually resulting in serious injuries. Federal regulators are working on new laws in the next couple of years that would require auto manufacturers to install automatic emergency braking systems in their cars. Safety advocates, however, are calling on regulators to require manufacturers to install systems that work in all light conditions, including at night.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has made it clear that it will be working on completing rulemaking by 2024, requiring auto manufacturers to install pedestrian automatic emergency braking systems in all their automobiles. These systems work at detecting pedestrians in the path of the car. There is significant research that shows the efficacy of these systems in helping protect pedestrians against accidents. For instance, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has conducted research that clearly shows the benefits of pedestrian automatic emergency braking systems in helping motorists to avoid pedestrians. Collisions with motor vehicles are a major cause of injuries and fatalities in pedestrian accidents every year.

The researchers found that the systems significantly help prevent collisions in the daytime. There isn’t significant data pointing to the effectiveness of the systems at night, however. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is calling on federal regulators to pressure automakers to install pedestrian automatic emergency braking systems that work both in the daytime as well as at night. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, it has found in its studies that these systems can be enhanced to make them very effective during low visibility conditions like night-time as well.